DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Description) Advances In-Situ Hybridization and Immunocytochemistry - October 14-27,1998 The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory proposes to continue a course entitled "Advanced In Situ Hybridization and Immunocytochemistry," to be held in the Fall of 1998-2003. This is a short, two week, intensive course which trains students (ranging from graduate students to Principal Investigators) to enter directly into research that makes use of advanced and/or specialized techniques in microscopy to localize nucleic acids and proteins as well as to provide background on the biochemical concepts underlying these techniques. The techniques will be used to characterize copy number changes of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes on the DNA-level, and to analyze the cellular distribution and the expression status of mRNAs and proteins relevant to human carcinogenesis (such as proliferation markers and tumor suppressor gene products). The course will enable students to gain first-hand experience in localizing genes, chromosomes, and mRNAs by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), performing spectral karyotyping of human chromosomes, comparing the genomes of normal versus tumor samples by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), preparing antibody preparations for immunolabeling, performing experiments using different antigen-antibody systems (fluorescence, enzymatic, colloidal gold), as well as examining cells using different state-of-the-art microscopic systems (epifluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy). The course is taught by internationally recognized leaders in the field who provide hands-on training. Lecturers are invited who give up-to-the-minute reports on current research.